392 ZOOLOGICAL GEOGRxlPHY. [part hi. 



and among prevalent Oriental groups, Pycnonotidre (bulbids), 

 Pliyllornithidae (green bulbnls), and Megalceniida? (barbets) are 

 families whose absence is significant. Nine families are peculiar 

 to the region, or only just pass its limito in the case of single 

 species. These are Paridiseid<]e (paradise-birds), Meliphagidaj 

 (honey-suckers), Menuridee (lyre-birds), Atrichidse (scrub- birds), 

 Cacatuidffi (cockatoos), Platycercidse (broad-tailed and grass- 

 paroquets), Trichoglossidse (brush-tongued paroquets, JVFegapo- 

 diidfB (mound-makers), and Casuariidse (cassowaries). There are 

 also eight very characteristic families, of which four, — Pachy- 

 cephalidoe (thick-headed shrikes), Campephagidfe (caterpillar 

 shrikes), Dic^eidae (flower-peckers), and Artamidoe (swallow- 

 shrikes) — are feebly represented elsewhere, while the other four 

 — Ploceidie (weaver-finches), Alcffidinidie (kingfishers), Podargid;e 

 (frog-mouths), and Columbidre (pigeons) — although widely dis- 

 tributed, are here unusually abundant and varied, and (except 

 in the case of the Ploceidfe) better represented in the Australian 

 than in any other region. Of all these the Meliphagidpe (honey- 

 suckers) are the most peculiarly and characteristically Australian. 

 This family abounds in genera and species ; it extends into every 

 part of the region from Celebes and Lombock on the west, to 

 the Sandwich Islands, Marquesas, and New Zealand on the east, 

 while not a single srecies overpasses its limits, with the excep- 

 tion of one {Ptilotis Icmhaia) which abounds in all the islands of 

 the Timorese grou]>, and has crossed the narrow strait from 

 Lombock to Baly ; but this can hardly be considered to impugn 

 the otherwise striking fact of wide diffusion combined with 

 strict limitation, which characterizes it. This family is the more 

 important, because, like the Trichoglossidte or brush-tongued 

 paroquets, it seems to have been developed in co-ordination with 

 tliat wealth of nectariferous flowering shrubs and trees whicli is 

 one of the marked features of Australian vegetation. It probably 

 originated in tlie extensive land-area of Australia itself, and 

 thence spread into all the tributaiy islands, where it has become 

 variously modified, yet always in such close adaptation to the 

 other grent features of the Australian fauna, that it seems unable 

 to maintain itself when subject to the conipelition of the more 



